When the group arrived in the Mid-Hive, the scene here was starkly different from the dead silence of the Upper Hive. Although equally dilapidated, the air was filled with the vibrant scent of battle—the sounds of laser guns and heavy stubbers exchanging fire in the distance, and occasional violent explosions.
"There's still fighting here, and it seems to be on a considerable scale." Krona inhaled deeply the air mixed with gunpowder, ozone, and the smell of blood, his eyes gleaming with interest, as if this was the fragrance he craved.
"Yes, sir. The structure of the hive city is too vast and complex for us to completely clean it out. Deep within the Mid-Hive and Lower Hive, remnants of the genestealer cult and chaos cultists still widely exist," Robert explained. "However, this also happens to suit our wishes: a new recruit must pass a trial to officially become a Helldiver—to achieve a victory against genestealers or cultists. Only then is he qualified to go to the main battlefield to fight the orks."
"New recruits fight genestealers, and after fighting genestealers, they go directly to fight the orks." Krona repeated Robert's words, a peculiar expression appearing on his rugged face. He chuckled twice, "Haha... I think I'm starting to understand why my fallen cousins fell into the hands of you mortals... Helldivers, that name will surely resonate throughout the galaxy in the future."
"Thank you for the compliment," Robert nodded slightly, "Next..."
"Next, let's go straight to the battlefield." Krona interrupted him unceremoniously, "I'm not interested in how your recruitment mechanism and military production specifically operate... It's time for battle! It's time for slaughter!"
"For Russ! For the Allfather!" The Wolf Guard behind him raised their weapons one after another, erupting in deafening cheers. Their innate combat instincts had long been ignited by the atmosphere here, and they were eager to throw themselves into the fray.
"Uh, that..." Seeing this, Robert hesitated for a moment but still plucked up the courage to speak, "I don't mean to hinder you from engaging the orks. I just feel that there are some things that need to be explained to you before going to the front lines."
"Then hurry up!" Krona waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away a buzzing fly.
"First, you should already know about us detonating nuclear bombs in orbit," Robert quickly got to the point. "This is actually our current core tactic, which can be summarized as 'nuclear-infantry coordination': launching strategic nuclear strikes from high altitude to inflict mass casualties on the ork's forces and disrupt their formations.
The intense nuclear radiation generated by the explosions greatly weakens their physiological functions. Then, our warriors seize the opportunity to charge, find, and encircle the weakened ork leaders within the radiation zone."
"Uh... Then what do your warriors use to protect against radiation?" Krona's previously impatient expression froze, and he frowned. Now, he finally understood why Robert insisted on explaining.
"A mixture of high-concentration anti-radiation agents and combat stimulants." Robert's tone was terrifyingly calm. "After injection, warriors generally only have twelve to sixteen hours of life remaining. But during this time, their individual combat power will be greatly enhanced, enough to overpower the orks weakened by radiation."
He paused, then added in a matter-of-fact tone: "However, many warriors who survived the battlefield have reported to us that twelve to sixteen hours of life... is too long. In actual combat, they generally don't live that long. We are considering improving the drug formula to further shorten the remaining lifespan while gaining stronger individual combat power."
"Isn't it that 'many warriors' survived after the battle? I don't think that time is too long..." Krona subconsciously retorted, feeling that his logic was a bit behind.
"Uh..." Robert didn't know how to answer this question, which seemed self-evident to him. He couldn't possibly say they could resurrect, could he?
"The Helldivers believe that life itself is an endless suffering in this universe."
At this moment, the Tech-Priest Reddito, who had been like a silent statue from beginning to end, suddenly spoke with his unmodulated electronic synthetic voice.
"The longer one lives, the more deeply this suffering penetrates the bones and torments the soul... Compared to lingering in misery, death is a better liberation. Perhaps their souls can even return to the Golden Throne and find eternal peace."
"I see," Krona stroked his stubbled chin, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "Is that what you think? If so... then a warrior, fighting while observing the average survival time of his comrades, and then actively reporting to his superiors after the battle that he lived too long... that can be understood."
"Yes," Reddito echoed, "For us, giving a severely wounded soldier a finishing shot is the greatest mercy. If you try to treat him, he will curse you instead... What was that word again? Oh, right, 'life-saving enemy'."
"What incredibly bizarre thinking!"
A voice suddenly cut in. Inquisitor Herbert had, at some point, managed to bypass the Wolf Guard's blockade and stood close by. His face bore an undisguised inquisitorial instinct for inquiry: "How exactly did this ideology come into being?"
Krona first glared fiercely at the Wolf Guard who had failed in their 'isolation' duty, then turned to Herbert and said in a threatening tone, "What, Inquisitor? Are you going to brand this ideology as heresy too?"
"That was just a simple question!" Herbert retorted without flinching.
Ultimately, it was Robert who answered the question: "Inquisitor, if you had also endured thirty years of torment in purgatory, then you would certainly understand us... Chaos, genestealers, ork, and even the dark eldar, they took turns turning Perditia into a veritable living hell."
"There are dark eldar here too?!" Herbert's voice instantly rose eight octaves. "By the Emperor, is that damn Planetary Governor holding a heresy convention on this planet!"
"What a grand gathering," Krona grinned, revealing his stark white teeth, his tone carrying a hint of excited cruelty. "This planet is truly lively... If I hadn't never heard of this godforsaken place before, I would have thought it was some extremely important transportation hub, a strategic point that all military strategists would contend for."